IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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./■^ 


fe 


rfi 


I.N/          U£  ^^     Mil 

—     ^  Ki    12.2 

1.1  i.-^iis 

—     m 

1.25      1.4      1.6 

^ — 6 

1» 

Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)872-4503 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  historiquas 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  ihe  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 

n 

D 
D 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommagde 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurde  et/ou  pellicul6e 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  giographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleu:  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr^e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  int6rieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouties 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  filmies. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppl6mentaires; 


L'institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mdthode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


D 
D 
□ 
D 
0 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmd  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pellicul6es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
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Pages  f^^tached/ 
Pages  ddtachies 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  print  varies/ 
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Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppldmentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  dt6  filmdes  6  nouveau  de  fapon  it 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


1UA 

I4A 

■HA 

l^A 

AA 

JUA 

y/ 

12X 

16X 

20X 

24X                            28X                            32X 

m. 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Metropolitan  Toronto  Library 
Canadian  History  Department 


L'exemplaire  film«  f ut  reproduit  grAce  A  la 
gAnArositi  de: 

•%-r-s?o!itan  Toronto  Library 
C.iadi  jr. .  iitory  Department 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  end  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Las  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  dt 
de  la  netteti  de  rexemplaire  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimis  sont  fiimis  en  commen^ant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commenpant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparattra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  dtre 
fiimis  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  troo  grand  pour  6tre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich6,  il  est  film6  d  partir 
de  I'angle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nicessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mithode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

V' 


A  CANADIAN  yiEW  OF  AMEXATION. 


Although  the  question  of  the  annexation  of  Canada  to  the 
United  States  does  not  figure  prominently  in  the  political  pro- 
gramme of  any  of  the  great  parties  on  either  side  of  the  line 
45°,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  is  one  of  those  important 
dormant  issues  never  wholly  out  of  sight.  To  those  in  the 
Domnion  who  assert  that  "  annexation  is  dead,"  I  reply  that  its 
ghost  is  far  from  laid,  that  it  will  keep  flitting  through  the  polit- 
ical atmosphere,  and  assume  more  vigorous  and  aggressive  life 
than  it  has  yet  shown.  That  it  will  be  a.  fait  accompli  within  the 
present  generation,  if  not  sooner,  many  of  the  far-seeing  public 
men  of  Canada  believe.  There  is  no  denying,  however,  that  be- 
sides the  place-holders,  ministers,  and  aspirants  to  office  and 
imperial  favor,  there  is  in  the  Dominion  a  loyal  section  of  the 
population,  largely  composed  of  the  "old  fogies"  of  British 
birth  and  the  Orangemen  of  Ontario,  who  will  stoutly  oppose 
its  realization.  I  may  also  place  on  this  side  a  number  of  English 
and  Scotch  merchants,  above  middle  life,  many  of  the  clergy, 
together  with  a  considerable  body  of  timid  Conservatives,  who 
naturally  shrink  from  the  idea  of  radical  change.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  there  are  multitudes,  even  of  British  Protestants, 
who  set  the  slightest  possible  value  on  the  connection  with  Eng- 
land, which  they  were  only  too  glad  to  escape  from  in  order 
to  better  their  condition.  As  for  the  Irish  Roman  Catholics, 
who  are  intelligent,  industrious,  and  law-abiding,  and  number 
about  one-fourth  of  the  entire  population, —  say  one  million, — 
their  loyalty  to  Great  Britain  is  unequal  to  the  mildest  strain. 
While  they  and  their  children,  born  and  reared  in  Canada,  may 
not  ardently  desire  annexation  to  the  United  States  at  present, 
it  is  undeniable  that  the  great  majority  would,  were  the  question 
put  to  a  quiet  vote,  prefer  annexation,  to  the  government  under 


\ 


A    CANADIAN  VIEW  OF  ANNEXATION. 


327 


•* 


.^ 


W  'i 


which  they  live.  Admitting  that  they  are  fairly  satisfied  with 
British  policy  toward  the  land  of  their  adoption,  they  are  by  no 
means  pleased  with  even  the  present  treatment  of  Ireland,  while 
any  reference  to  the  past  produces  the  reverse  of  a  soothing 
effect  on  the  average  Celtic  mind.  With  reference  to  the  present 
generation  of  native  Canadians,  say  from  forty  years  of  age 
downward,  and  to  the  immigrants  some  time  in  the  country, 
the  majority,  besides  experiencing  those  "Cosmopolitan  influences 
so  actively  at  work  among  the  most  advanced  communities 
within  the  last  thirty  years,  have  gradually  come  to  regard  the 
United  States  as  an  extension  of  the  United  Kingdom  and 
Canada.  They  consider  its  people  a  race  with  which  they  must 
have  business  and  social  relations,  and  among  whom  many 
of  them  may,  sooner  or  later,  take  up  their  permanent  abode. 
The  republic,  in  their  estimation,  affords  them  the  most  profitable 
sphere  for  their  energies,  and  vast  numbers  of  them  annually 
enter  it  to  push  their  fortunes.  The  fact  that  there  is  scarcely  a 
family  in  the  Dominion,  French,  German,  or  British,  but  has 
members  or  relatives  living  in  the  United  States,  operates  as  a 
mighty  moral  force  in  the  interest  of  peace  and  closer  commun- 
ion. The  feeling  toward  England  is  very  different.  However 
much  she  may  be  admired  and  loved  by  a  great  portion  of  the 
colonists,  the  masses  of  Canada  feel  that  their  fortunes,  with 
those  of  their  children's  children,  are  invclved  in  the  fate  of  this 
northern  continent. 

As  all  men  are  influenced  by  their  own  interests,  it  is  easy 
to  understand  that  the  trading  classes  would  like  free  access 
to  larger  markets,  which  political  and  commercial  union  would 
afford.  They  keenly  feel,  particularly  in  times  of  depression, 
that  their  field  of  operations  is  very  limited,  with  a  population 
of  only  four  millions,  scattered  over  a  territory  nearly  four  thou- 
sand miles  from  east  to  west,  with  little  more  than  an  attenu- 
ated line  of  frontier  and  river  settlements.  Most  Canadians  are 
aware  that  the  United  States  offer  every  variety  of  climate  as  well 
as  of  vegetable  productions,  to  suit  all  constitutions,  tastes,  and 
necessities.  The  vast  development  gf  their  manufacturing  and 
mining  industries,  together  with  the  rapid  settlement  of  their 
wild  lands,  holds  out  substantial  prospects  of  profitable  employ- 
ment to  all  comers  of  whatever  race  or  craft.  In  fact,  the  mar- 
velous expansion  of  the  industry,  commerce,  and  population  of 
the  Republic  during  the  last  twenty  years,  despite  the  terrible 


.i,« 
( 


u 


:)28 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  REVIEW. 


t; 


A:j 


] 


losses,  panics,  and  demoralization  resulting  from  the  Civil  War, 
las  produced  a  profound  impression  upon  all  Canadians. 

Thej'e  has  long  been  apparent  in  Canada  a  tendency  to  "  look 
to  Washington  "  in  times  of  hot  party  controversy,  arising  from 
real  or  fancied  injustice  on  the  part  of  this  or  that  section  or 
dominant  faction.  During  the  bitter  party  disputes  of  1837 
and  1847,  in  which  French  and  British  prejudices  were  keenly 
aroused,  an  annexation  party  was  openly  formed  in  Montreal 
and  other  places.  Among  the  leaders  were  several  prominent 
men  of  the  day.  Before  confederation,  Ontario  Liberals  talked 
of  applying  to  the  Government  at  Washington  for  that  justice 
which  the  Conservative  majority,  led  by  the  late  Sir  George  E. 
Cartier,  had  long  refused  to  concede.  This  kind  of  agitation  has 
continued,  more  or  less,  ever  since  among  the  public  men  of 
Canada.  In  numberless  instances  it  ends  in  the  transference  of 
their  allegiance  to  the  United  States.  Men  of  less  ambition  and 
of  conservative  tastes  plod  along  in  the  old  ruts  while  their  cir- 
cumstances remain  tolerable,  conscious,  however,  of  the  probable 
necessity,  sooner  or  later,  of  a  movement  southward. 

It  is  not  at  all  strange  that  a  widespread  distrust  of  the  future 
of  Canada,  under  its  present  isolated  constitutional  and  commer- 
cial system,  should  widely  prevail  in  the  Dominion.  The  prog- 
ress of  the  country,  notwithstanding  the  union  of  the  provinces 
and  the  acquisition  of  the  North-west,  is  lamentably  slow  com- 
pared with  that  of  the  adjoining  Republic.  The  greatest  emigrat- 
ing races,  the  Irish  and  Germans,  for  the  most  part  give  it  a  wide 
berth.  This  region  is  only  now  being  explored  and  surveyed 
for  the  attraction  of  pioneers  and  for  the  construction  of  a 
Pacific  railway,  upon  which  the  future  of  the  Confederation  is 
staked. 

One  of  the  greatest  misfortunes  of  the  country  is  the  enor- 
mous price  it  has  had  to  pay  for  the  union  of  the  old  provinces 
and  the  acquisition  of  the  North-west.  For  instance,  to  satisfy 
New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia, — the  latter  of  which  could 
hardly  be  even  thus  placated,  a  powerful  minority  threatening 
annexation  till  the  additional  bribe  of  a  much  larger  annual 
subsidy  was  conceded, — the  Intercolonial  Railway,  costing  thirty- 
five  million  dollars,  had  to  be  constn^cted,  entadHng  for  several 
years  after  its  completion  a  heavy  annual  loss  to  the  country. 
Again,  after  paying  the  old  Hudson's  Bay  Company  several 
millions  for  Manitoba  and  the  region  farther  north  and  west, 


f< 


•  : 


A   CANADIAN  VIEW  OF  ANNEXATION. 


329 


/ 


the  Conservative  government  of  Sir  John  A.  Macdonald  and 
the  late  Sir  George  Cartier,  with  the  greatest  recklessness, 
enticed  British  Columbia  into  the  Confederacy  by  the  promise 
of  the  building  of  a  railway  to  the  Pacific — through  what  the 
Hon.  Edward  Blake,  the  leader  of  the  opposition  at  Ottawa, 
graphically  describes  as  "a  sea  of  mountains" — within  ten 
years,  viz.,  by  1882.  Not  one  of  the  ministers  had  set  foot  on 
the  prairies,  or  seen  the  Pacific,  even  by  the  American  road, 
through  a  much  milder  and  pretty  well  settled  region.  Only  a 
few  Hudson's  Bay  officials,  adventurous  sportsmen,  zealous  mis- 
sionaries, and  some  of  the  half-breed  population  of  the  Red 
River,  had  any  knowledge  of  the  soil,  climate,  and  general 
characteristics  of  the  Canadian  North-west.  Even  at  present  an 
army  of  surveyors  is  at  work  in  the  territory,  a  very  large  por- 
tion of  which  is  enshrouded  in  darkness  as  thick  as  overhangs 
the  center  of  Africa.  It  is  true  that,  at  an  expenditure  of 
several  million  dollars,  large  trjtcts  near  the  Canadian  Pacific 
Railway,  and  farther  north,  as  also  in  British  Columbia,  have 
been  opened  up  to  settlement ;  but  a  large  outlay  must  yet  be  in- 
curred to  make  the  Saskatchewan,  Peace  River,  Athabasca,  and 
other  immense  tracts  even  moderately  known.  Now,  admitting, 
as  I  cheerfully  do,  the  incalculable  value  of  much  of  this  north- 
ern region  in  an  agricultural  point  of  view,  I  much  regret,  as  a 
Canadian  who  would  like  to  see  his  country  prosperous,  its  great 
cost  and  the  perilous  obligations  connected  with  it.  The  Canada 
Pacific  Railway  will  probably  cost  to  Canada  in  money,  land, 
and  completed  railway,  one  hundred  and  ten  million  dollars, 
in  return  for  which  the  Syndicate  is  to  expend  not  more  than 
forty-eight  million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  Toronto 
"  Globe,"  from  which  I  have  taken  the  above  figures,  says,  in 
reference  to  this, — "  a  bargain  which  places  the  whole  North-west 
at  the  mercy  of  a  monopolist  corporation!"  This  is  paying 
dearly  for  a  trans-continental  railway,  even  though  one-third 
of  the  price  is  land,  which  would  be  of  no  great  value  with- 
out it.  Unquestionably  the  new  railway  is  being  rapidly  con- 
structed, at  the  rate  of  two  or  three  miles  a  day,  and  there  is 
good  prospect  of  its  reaching  the  Rocky  Mountains  by  the  end  of 
the  coming  year.  Considering  the  impracticable  nature  of  the 
country,  fair  progress  has  been  made  in  British  Columbia,  on 
the  Ocean  and  Eraser  River  sections ;  but  the  most  difficult  and 
expensive  sections,  through  the  mountains,  across  the  Rockies, 


330 


THE  NORTH  AMEBIC  AN  REVIEW. 


!/•   ! 


I'A 


and  north  of  Lake  Superior, — a  wintry,  mountainous,  inhospi- 
table region, — must  subtract  heavily  from  the  future  enormous 
profits  of  the  company  on  the  prairie  sections  and  the  lands 
utilized  in  speculation. 

-The  contract  with  British  Columbia  was  a  blunder  on  the 
part  of  the  Government.  Appeals  to  national  good  faith,  threats 
of  imperial  displeasure,  and  all  kinds  of  party  devices  were  em- 
ployed by  the  cunning,  interested  party  leaders  to  reconcile  a 
startled,  apprehensive  people  to  the  myriad  oppressive  conse- 
quences involved  in  this  agreement.  The  country  showed  its  dis- 
approval in  the  political  revolution  which  transferred  power  from 
the  Tories,  in  1873,  to  the  Liberals,  though  the  former  had  for 
years  enjoyed  an  overwhelming  majority. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  the  construction  of  the  Canada 
Pacific  Railway  and  the  other  costly  efforts  made  to  open  up  and 
make  known  the  advantages  of  the  North-west,  attracted  a  larger 
immigration  the  last  couple  of  years  than  was  ever  witnessed  be- 
fore. Probably  80,000  settled  in  that  country,  the  forerunners  of  a 
much  larger  influx.  The  Dominion  will  thus  receive  some  com- 
pensation for  her  immense  outlay ;  but,  per  contra^  the  bulk  of 
the  new-comers  are  from  the  older  provinces,  mainly  Ontario, 
which  need  all  their  own,  and  more,  to  develop  their  abundant 
resources. 

Beyond  doubt,  the  main  element  of  popular  uneasiness  and 
unceitainty — I  might  say  alarm,  on  serious  reflection  —  consists 
in  the  rapid  increase  of  Government  expenditure  and  the  public 
debt.  The  disbursements  for  all  purposes  rose  from  $13,687,928, 
in  1868,  to  $24,205,092,  in  1874,  and  thence  to  $31,810,000,  by  Sir 
Leonard  Tilley's  estimate,  in  1882.  There  was  no  proportionate 
increase  of  the  population,  which  was  about  3,363,201  in  1868, 
and  is  now  probably  4,418,714.  The  taxation  was  $4.07  per 
head  in  1868,  against  some  $7.02  now.  The  net  debt  at  Con- 
federation, in  1867,  was  but  $75,728,641,  and  in  1881,  $155,- 
395,780 ;  gross  debt,  1867,  $93,046,051 ;  1881,  $191,861,537,  the 
latter  showing  an  increase  of  115  per  cent.  This  picture  is  still 
further  darkened  by  the  certainty  of  material  additions  to  the 
load  of  debt  and  taxation  within  the  next  decade,  while  a  con- 
siderable period  must  elapse  before  any  substantial  return  can 
be  expected  from  the  gigantic  outlays  on  public  works  and  the 
North-west.  Indeed,  some  of  the  former  may  be  styled  non- 
productive, as  regards  the  public  purse,  notably  the   canals, 


\ 


! 
'I 


I 


P  jjAr 


A   CANADIAN  VIEW  OF  ANNEXATION. 


331 


inhospi- 

normous 

the  lands 

ir  on  the 
1,  threats 
were  em- 
iconeile  a 
'^e  conse- 
d  its  dis- 
wer  from 
had  for 

Canada 
1  up  and 
a  larger 
Bssed  be- 
ners  of  a 
tne  corn- 
bulk  of 
Ontario, 
Dundant 

Less  and 
consists 
e  public 
687,928, 
>,  by  Sir 
rtionate 
in  1868, 
.07  per 
at  Con- 
,  $155,- 
i37,  the 
I  is  still 

to  the 

a  con- 
im  can 
nd  the 
d  non- 
canals, 


'9 


i 


which  have  cost  some  $40,000,000,  and  the  trifling  income  from 
which  will  doubtless  have  to  be  sacrificed  to  offset  the  abolition 
of  the  Erie  tolls. 

Thoughtful  persons  contrast  the  experience  of  Canada  with 
that  of  the  United  States  in  the  matter  of  national  responsibil- 
ities, and  thence  draw  conclusions  highly  favorable  to  the  lat- 
ter. The  reduction  of  the  American  debt,  now  $1,392,245,450,  by 
over  $800,000,000  since  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  the  year  just 
expired  witnessing  the  extinction  of  $162,289,150  of  the  total, 
is  a  feat  unparalleled  in  history,  notwithstanding  the  doubt  that 
many  reasonably  entertain  as  to  the  wisdom  of  subjecting  the 
present  generation  to  such  a  strain.  Such  an  achievement,  how- 
ever, has  proved  an  impressive  advertisement  of  the  resources 
of  the  Republic  abroad,  if  it  has  oppressed  to  some  extent  the 
masses  at  home. 

There  can  be  no  denying  the  fact  that  one  of  the  results  of 
the  late  Civil  War  was  the  postponement  of  the  closer  union  of 
Canada  and  the  United  States.  The  enormous  war  debt  has 
also  been  held  up,  in  terroremj  before  Canadian  eyes  to  excite 
contentment  with  their  situation  and  aversion  to  "  Yankee  con- 
nection." But  events  are  too  strong,  and  nothing  can  arrest  the 
tide  of  popular  opinion,  which  ceaselessly,  though  calmly,  flows 
in  the  direction  of  closer  connection,  if  not  political  union, 
with  the  republic.  A  great  many  straws  might  be  pointed  to  at 
this  time,  to  show  how  the  wind  blows ;  but  I  need  only  indicate 
one  or  two :  On  the  13th  of  December  last,  the  Corn  Exchange 
of  Montreal,  numbering  several  hundred  merchants,  petitioned 
the  Federal  Government  in  favor  of  the  abolition  of  canal  tolls, 
and  the  obtainment  of  a  new  reciprocity  treaty  with  the  United 
States. 

Nobody  in  his  senses  is  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  even  reci- 
procity would  lead  to  a  material  increase  of  Canadian  trade  with 
the  United  States,  and  that  such  would  be  beneficial  to  both 
nations ;  but  who  could  set  bounds  to  the  mutual  advantages  of 
a  commercial  or,  better  still,  a  political  union  ?  The  fructifying 
influences  of  that  wondrous  American  enterprise,  supported  by 
illimitable  capital,  would  soon  vigorously  develop  the  great  re- 
sources of  Canada.  Her  vast  solitudes  of  forest  and  prairie,  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  from  the  southern  boundary  to  the 
most  northerly  line  of  profitable  cultivation,  would  be  converted 
into  the  comfortable  homes  of  prosperous  millions.    Under  all 


•  ■■ 


882 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  REVIEW. 


^■e 


n 


her  disadvantages,  climatic  and  commercial,  including  heavy 
duties  at  the  American  frontier  and  a  protective  tariff  designed 
to  put  a  check  upon  importations  from  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  States,  her  export  trade  in  the  year  ending  June  30, 
1882,  reached  one  hundred  and  one  million  dollars,  or  three 
million  dollars  in  excess  of  the  previous  year,  and  her  imports 
one  hundred  and  nineteen  million  dollars,  or  fourteen  million 
dollars  above  those  of  1880-81. 

To  show  what  the  Dominion,  with  her  enormous  undeveloped 
resources,  is  capable  of  becoming^  binder  the  quickening  influence 
of  a  close  and  friendly  union  with  the  Republic,  and  how  much 
the  latter  has  to  gain  by  free  access  to  such  a  ready  mart  for 
trade,  I  may  state  that  a  recent  parliamentary  blue-book  sets 
forth  that  the  surplus  revenue  of  Canada,  for  the  past  six 
months,  reached  $5,546,262 ;  or,  at  the  rate  of  over  eleven  mil- 
lions for  the  year,  or  four  and  a  half  millions  over  1881-2, 
notwithstanding  the  abolition  of  important  duties  last  spring. 
These  may  seem  small  results  to  the  people  of  the  United  States, 
but  they  are  unquestionably  substantial  for  Canada. 

One  of  the  most  powerful  factors  in  the  work  of  radical 
change  in  the  position  of  the  Dominion  is,  undoubtedly,  the 
straitened  financial  condition  of  the  majority  of  the  provinces. 
While  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia  can  barely  meet  their 
local  engagements  in  prosperous  years,  they  enjoy  little  or  no 
prospect  of  any  material  improvement  in  circumstances,  with  a 
cdnstant  drain  of  their  population  to  the  United  States  and  the 
North-west,  and  but  little  to  attract  foreign  emigrants.  Both 
provinces  feel  that  their  natural  interests  draw  them  toward 
their  nearest  and  best  market, — the  adjoining  Republic.  The 
province  of  Ontario  enjoys  fair  prosperity,  having  a  better  soil 
and  climate  than  her  sister  provinces  to  the  eastward,  and  boasts 
of  a  surplus  of  between  four  and  five  millions.  The  province  of 
Quebec,  with  its  debt  of  over  eighteen  millions  and  the  dis- 
tracted state  of  its  political  parties,  including  the  lack  of  sym- 
pathy between  French  and  British,  is  in  a  deplorable  condition. 
For  the  last  few  years  the  ordinary  income  has  fallen  short 
of  the  disbursements,  while  the  prospect  now  is  a  gradually 
increasing  expenditure  with  no  corresponding  augmentation  of 
revenue.  The  provincial  resources  have  been  squandered  for 
the  benefit  of  partisan  lumbermen,  speculators,  and  new  rail- 
roads in  which  members  of  parliament  possessed  a  large  personal 


•  II* 


4      ■    » 


; 


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M 


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i'(. 


A    CANADIAN  VIEW  OF  ANNEXATION. 


333 


interest.  Her  condition  is  critical  and  prospects  most  gloomy. 
To  escape  the  costly  machinery  of  a  local  government,  many 
of  the  people  are  looking  to  legislative  union,  which,  however, 
would  be  most  repugnant  to  the  French  Canadians.  The  latter, 
rather  than  accept  this,  would,  with  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy 
at  their  head,  advocate  annexation  to  the  United  States. 

The  population  of  this  province,  despite  the  fecimdity  of  all 
races,  the  French  Canadians  in  particular,  has  been  for  twenty 
years  almost  at  a  stand-stUl.  A  quarter  of  a  million  of  French 
Canadians  settled  in  the  New-England  and  other  States,  with 
crowds  weekly  leaving  the  province  to  join  them,  notwithstanding 
the  pathetic  appeals  of  their  clergy,  is  not  a  cheering  outlook ; 
indeed,  many  of  its  most  intelligent  citizens  see  no  hope  for  the 
province  .^lort  of  annexation.  Meantime  the  province  possesses 
abundant  resources  in  cleared  and  wooded  land,  minerals,  water- 
power,  and  fisheries,  v.]uch  might  yield,  with  more  capital  and 
enterprising  inhabitants,  handsome  results. 

The  London  "Spectator"  has  lately  produced  a  sensation  in 
many  quarters  by  the  assertion  that  there  is  a  great  deal  of 
republicanism  in  England,  though  in  the  latent,  non-demonstra- 
tive form;  that  this  feeling  spreads  quietly,  leavening  popular 
opinion  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  that  it  bids  fair  to  keep  on 
expanding,  with  the  prospect  of  momentous  results  in  the  not 
distant  future.  Of  course  it  is  admitted  that  the  ofQlcial  and 
aristocratic  class,  with  the  leaders  of  the  principal  parties,  form 
the  head  and  front  of  the  monarchical  party,  and  they  usuahy 
make  much  ado  about  their  sentiments.  But  they  touch  the  great 
middle  and  lower  classes  at  only  a  few  points,  affecting  their 
opinions  and  conduct  but  slightly,  and  would  probably  be  carried 
away  like  corks  on  the  stream  of  any  wide-spread  popular  move- 
ment. The  "  Spectator,"  not  a  disloyal  or  sensation-loving  journal, 
and  one  of  great  influence  among  the  intelligent  classes,  illustrates 
.  the  strength  of  the  republican  feeling  by  recording  the  general 
admission,  when  the  question  of  monarchy  comes  up  in  conver- 
sation, that  another  George  the  Fourth  would  not  be  tolerated, — 
would  end,  in  fact,  the  existing  constitutional  system. 

Now,  these  assertions  and  conclusions  are  stiU  more  applicable 
to  Canada,  in  which  republicanism  has  been  growing  more  popular 
every  day.  It  is  not  that  the  bulk  of  the  people  concern  them- 
selves much  with  the  merits  of  republicanisn  or  monarchy  in  the 
abstract,  but  they  do  draw  practical  conclusions  as  to  the  suc- 


C  I  *< 


334 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  REVIEW. 


cessful  operation  of  the  former  in  the  United  States.  They 
find  there  a  captivating  ilhistration  in  the  existence  of  the  most 
powerful  and  prosperous  nation  on  earth, — a  nation  whose  pros- 
pects of  future  greatness  overshadow  those  of  all  the  other  leading 
nations  put  together.  Canadians  feel  that  they  have  lost  enor- 
mously in  the  matter  of  immigration,  the  application  of  the 
necessary  volume  of  capital  to  the  development  of  their  great 
resources,  and  an  extensive  beneficial  trade  with  their  American 
cousins  and  neighbors.  And  this  is  mainly  owing  to  the  miserable 
artificial  line  of  separation  maintained  by  a  small,  noisy,  political 
class,  principally  for  party  effect  and  the  gratification  of  tradi- 
tional prejudice. 

The  indifference  of  the  Queen's  ministers  in  regard  to  changes 
in  colonial  opinion  was  shown  by  the  conferring  of  knighthood 
upon  Sir  A.  T.  Gait,  some  years  ago,  though  he  had  previously 
informed  them  that  he  advocated  Canadian  independence.  The 
idtra  loyalists,  political  aspirants  to  imperial  favor,  and  new- 
fledged  knights,  who  form  the  nucleus  of  a  petty  official  aris- 
tocracy, were  bewildered  and  shocked  beyond  description  at  the 
behavior  of  the  Gladstone-Bright  ministry  on  this  occasion.  In 
the  opinion  of  those  sticklers  for  permanent  British  connection, 
it  was  to  the  last  degree  unwise  to  waste  such  honors  upon  an 
Independent,  an  "  Annexationist  in  disguise,"  while  true,  blue- 
blooded  loyalists  played  their  little  fussy  parts  unnoticed  by  her 
most  gracious  Majesty.  But  yet,  spite  of  the  Independence  con- 
tamination, both  Canadian  parties.  Liberals  and  Conservatives, 
have  gladly  coquetted  with  Sir  A.  T.  Gait,  employing  him  and 
catering  for  his  support,  the  latter  party  having  given  him  his 
present  appointment  of  Canadian  High  Commissioner  at  the  Court 
of  St.  James.  Late  dispatches  from  England  state  that  this  gen- 
tleman has  again  changed  his  opinions.  He  now  advocates  Impe- 
rial Federation,  which  some  of  his  Ottawa  masters  do  not  well 
like,  it  is  believed. 

Returning  to  the  main  point,  the  explanation  of  the  pref- 
erence of  so  large  a  body  of  the  Canadian  people  for  annexa- 
tion is  to  be  found  in  the  settled  conviction  that  it  would  at 
once  greatly  increase  the  trade  of  the  Dominion,  and,  in  a  short 
time,  its  general  prosperity.  Then  there  is  the  Independence 
party  to  be  noticed,  comprising  not  a  few  of  the  most  intelligent 
men  in  both  party  camps,  perhaps  more  in  the  Liberal.  The 
Conservatives  strive  to  damage  the  Liberal  cause  by  calling  its 


^ 


A    CANADIAN  VIEW  OF  ANNEXATION. 


886 


V    / 


if 


leaders  and  followers  Independents,  or  "  Annexationists  in  dis- 
guise," which  accusation  will  help  more  than  hurt  them  with  the 
young,  practical,  and  intelligent  portion  of  the  people.  Hon. 
Mr.  Huntington,  Postmaster-General  in  the  last  Liberal,  the 
Mackenzie  Government,  was  an  avowed  Independent. 

In  analyzing  the  elements  of  Canadian  public  opinion,  in 
order  to  convey  to  the  reader  some  idea  of  the  forces  operat- 
ing in  the  direction  of  Annexation,  I  have  not  by  any  means 
exhausted  the  subject.  I  prefer  moderation  in  both  statement 
and  forecast.  But  I  can  not  pass  over  such  telling  indications 
of  public  sentiment  as  the  efforts  of  the  Liberal  party,  last 
winter,  in  the  Federal  Parliament,  to  obtain  for  the  Dominion 
the  right  of  making  her  own  commercial  treaties,  nor  the  recent 
speech  of  Mr.  Edgar,  a  Liberal  leader,  in  favor  of  Canadian  com- 
mercial independence.  I  may  here,  too,  mention  that  at  a  caucus 
of  the  Liberals  held  at  Ottawa,  on  the  13th  February  last,  the 
policy  of  Canadian  Independence  was  generally  indorsed  by  the 
party. 

It  may  be  asked  by  some  of  my  American  readers  why,  if 
these  statements  with  regard  to  Canadian  public  opinion  be  cor- 
rect, there  is  no  systematic  agitation  for  annexation  afoot,  no 
propaganda  of  republicanism  to  bring  about  a  union  of  the  two 
nations.  Several  reasons  might  be  given  in  explanation  of  this 
matter,  only  a  few  of  which  I  will  notice.  In  the  first  place, 
in  ordinary  times,  in  the  absence  of  burning  questions  and 
harassing  popular  troubles,  most  people  feel  a  natural  aver- 
sion to  entering  upon  revolutionary  crusades,  involving  much 
notoriety,  sharp  collision  with  the  partisans  of  the  old  system, 
with  other  d4sagr4ments  usually  experienced  by  radical  reformers 
at  the  outset.  Many  also  prefer  to  take  the  easiest  and  quietest 
method  of  securing  the  benefits  of  annexation,  by  themselves 
silently  migrating  to  the  Republic,  and  encouraging  thereafter 
all  their  friends  to  foUow  their  example.  This,  the  quickest 
and  nost  effectual  remedy,  renders  a  resort  to  noisier  and 
more  tedious  experiments  unnecessary.  And  should  the  present 
state  of  things  continue,  the  people  of  the  United  States  will 
have  the  satisfaction  of  yearly  annexing  many  thousands  of 
Canadians,  as  a  preliminary  to  the  annexation  of  their  territory 
itself,  a  little  later.  Perhaps,  on  the  whole,  it  wiU  be  best  to 
have  the  people  first,— the  country  will  be  sure  to  follow  after- 
ward. 


tl 


*^MB"I! 


"i!F 


^^■1 


wm 


336 


THE  NOBTH  AMERICAN  BE  VIEW. 


The  difficulties  besetting  the  formation  of  a  united,  compact 
state  out  of  a  chain  of  widely  scattered  provinces,  reaching 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  appear  insuperable.  Dumb- 
bell like,  the  greatest  bulk  and  weight  is  at  each  end,  the  con- 
necting bar  being  represented  by  some  one  thousand  two 
hundred  miles  of  lacustrine  shores,  rocky  deserts  and  portages, 
varied  by  swamps  and  lakelets, — the  forbidding,  silent  wilder- 
ness stretching  from  the  head-waters  of  the  Ottawa  to  Thunder 
Bay,  and  thence  to  Manitoba.  What,  then,  can  a  candid  thinker 
conclude  from  the  above  facts,  save  that  the  present  and  future  in- 
terests of  the  provinces  of  Ontario,  Quebec,  New  Brunswick,  Nova 
Scotia,  and  Prince  Edward  Island  can  be  best  promoted  by  a  close 
and  friendly  union  with  the  American  Republic  ?  The  Northern 
and  Eastern  States  adjoin  these  provinces,  and  supply  them 
their  nearest  and  most  profitable  markets,  and  have  long  been 
connected  with  them  by  the  bonds  of  good  neighborhood  and 
mutual  trade.  There  is  everything  in  the  natural,  social,  and 
commercial  circumstances  of  the  two  countries  to  favor  such  a 
happy  consummation,  which  could  not  fail  to  gratify  the  pride, 
stimulate  the  energies,  and  enormously  augment  the  wealth  and 
resources  of  the  two  young  Anglo-Saxon  nations  of  North 
America.  Already  over  a  million  of  Canadians,  French  and 
British,  intelligent  and  enterprising,  have  founded  homes  in  the 
Republic,  the  number  yearly  increasing.  There  is  no  reason 
why  the  remainder  should  not  sensibly  anticipate  the  future, 
and  unite  their  and  their  country's  fortunes  with  the  greatest 
and  most  prosperous  nation  the  world  has  ever  known. 

P.  Bender. 


!vir^'!npo;jTAN 


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